Department for Transport

Offshore Industry: Helicopters

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the safety of helicopter operations in the UK offshore oil and gas sector.

Mr Robert Goodwill: No such discussions have taken place. Helicopter operations in support of the offshore oil and gas sector are regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority and must comply with the safety requirements established by the European Aviation Safety Agency.

Railways: Tendring

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to ensure that the next East Anglia franchise provides more frequent train services to Clacton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze.

Claire Perry: We have already set out the minimum levels of service in the invitation to tender for East Anglia and where bidders see there is an opportunity to offer more than those, they can do so. That tends to be based on whether there is a commercial case for improving services further.

European Rail Traffic Management System: East of England

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of the European Rail Traffic Management System on rail services in East Anglia.

Claire Perry: The impact of introducing the European Rail Traffic Management System is being evaluated first at the national level. Assessments for individual regions will be performed at a later stage.

Railways: Tendring

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to ensure that the next East Anglia franchise delivers greater punctuality and fewer cancellations on train services to Clacton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze.

Claire Perry: In the invitation tender for the East Anglia franchise we have asked bidders to come forward with proposals to improve operational performance and passenger experience during times of disruption across all the franchise services.

Railways: Tendring

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to ensure that the next East Anglia franchise introduces new rolling stock on routes to Clacton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze.

Claire Perry: The specification for the next franchise requires that bidders provide high quality rolling stock in their bids and 30% of the available quality points from the franchise evaluation (the highest level in any franchise) will be awarded for bidders’ plans for rolling stock improvements.

East Anglia Railway Line: Franchises

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce the new East Anglia franchise operator.

Claire Perry: I will announce the new East Anglia franchise operator in June, as planned.

South West Railway Line: Franchises

Mrs Flick Drummond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the invitation to tender to be issued for the franchise currently held by South West trains.

Claire Perry: The Department is finalising the specification for the South Western franchise so that it offers the best possible proposition for passengers. I expect to issue the Invitation to Tender later this month.

Railways: South West

Mrs Flick Drummond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the funding available for capital projects in the Wessex area during Control Period 6 of the Network Rail plan.

Claire Perry: The process for defining our priorities for investment in enhancements to the rail network - including in the Wessex area - for the funding period after March 2019 will start over the coming year taking into account the recommendations of the Bowe and Shaw reviews and the re-plan carried out by Sir Peter Hendy.

London Underground: Safety

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to change fire safety regulations governing staffing levels and other procedures on London Underground.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Fire safety regulations on London Underground are a matter for Transport for London (TfL), who have no plans to change them. TfL will continue to ensure that there are sufficient staff in place to maintain each London Underground station’s security, congestion, control and emergency plans, including adhering to minimum staffing levels where they exist.

London Underground: Safety

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Government has made of the adequacy of the fire safety regulations governing staffing levels and other procedures on London Underground.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Fire safety regulations on London Underground are a matter for Transport for London (TfL). Under London Underground’s new staffing model introduced in April 2016, all London Underground stations continue to be staffed during traffic hours in line with the London Underground Rule Book – which includes defined minimum numbers of staff at sub-surface stations as required by the Fire Precautions (Sub-Surface Railway Stations) (England) Regulations 2009. The introduction of the new staffing model followed a review of individual stations’ Congestion Control and Emergency Plans, which identified various improvements to help maintain London Underground’s good safety record.

London Underground: Safety

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with London Underground on fire safety regulations governing staffing levels and other procedures on those services.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department has regular meetings with Transport for London (TfL) where many issues are discussed, including passenger safety. This particular issue has not been discussed at recent meetings, but the Department has no reason to doubt that TfL is adhering to fire safety regulations on its services.

London Underground: Safety

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with London Fire Brigade on fire safety regulations governing staffing levels and other procedures on London Underground.

Mr Robert Goodwill: None. Fire safety regulations are a matter for Transport for London (TfL), who meet with the London Fire Brigade on a regular basis.

Helicopters: Accidents

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons and in what roles Air Accident Investigation Branch officials are attending the scene of the fatal crash of an EC225L Super Puma helicopter on the south west coast of Norway on 29 April 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) are assisting the Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority with an Accredited Representative and two advisors to the EC225 accident on 29 April. This is due to the death of a UK national on board the helicopter and previous experience with EC225 accidents in the North Sea. The AAIB also successfully downloaded the combined cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder (black box) last weekend and have provided that information to the investigation.

Railways: EU Action

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the potential effect of the latest version of the Fourth Railway Package would be on the ability of his Department to directly award passenger service contracts to public sector operators, as defined by section 25(1) of the Railways Act 1993.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Fourth Railway Package has no impact on this provision of domestic primary legislation, which prohibits the award of passenger rail franchises to public sector operators. The EU legislation would not itself prohibit awards to public service operators if in future the domestic prohibition were removed. Similarly, section 30 of the Railways Act 1993, which puts the franchising authority under a duty to secure the continuity of services – including by directly operating the services – will continue to apply. The current text of the Fourth Railway Package permits direct awards, including to public sector operators, in a range of circumstances including where they can be justified by the characteristics of the network and potential benefits to passengers.

Taxis

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2016 to Question 25870, how many (a) officials and (b) other staff are working on the Government's response to the Law Commission's recommendations on taxi and private hire vehicle legislation.

Andrew Jones: There are currently (a) three officials and (b) no other staff in the Department for Transport working on taxi and private hire vehicle policy. One of those officials works full-time on taxi and private hire vehicles, and it forms a core part of the work load of the other two. Their responsibilities include scrutiny of the Law Commission recommendations for reform of taxi and private hire vehicle legislation. This level of staffing for work on taxis and private hire vehicles remains essentially consistent with that going back to 2009/10. The Government will respond to the Law Commission report once scrutiny is complete.

Taxis: Disability

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport of 4 May 2016, Official Report, column 286, stating that the Government intends to commence sections 165 and 167 of the Equality Act 2010 in 2016, if he will also impose a statutory requirement on the driver of a private hire vehicle to accept and assist a wheelchair user and not to charge extra for providing such assistance.

Andrew Jones: The Government intends to commence sections 165 and 167 of the Equality Act 2010 this year, and impose this requirement upon both Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle drivers.

Home Office

Sergei Magnitsky

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit individuals involved in the death of Sergei Magnitsky from entering the UK and using its financial system; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Government already has the power to deny entry to individuals from the UK where their presence is not considered conducive to the public good, and separately, to freeze individuals’ UK assets provided that certain conditions are met.

Terrorism: Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what sentences were handed down to people convicted of each type of terrorist offence in the last year for which information is held.

Mr John Hayes: The attached table provides data on the sentences received by persons convicted of terrorism-related offences in the year ending December 2015, broken down by the primary offence for which they were convicted.



Data on sentences
(Excel SpreadSheet, 22.5 KB)

Vetting

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 19060, if she will estimate how much quicker a Disclosure and Barring Service check will be as a result of the Transformation Programme.

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 19060, what the scope, aims and budget of the Disclosure and Barring Service Transformation Programme is.

Karen Bradley: The Disclosure and Barring Service is undertaking an IT-led transformation programme (Release 1) to reform the way it delivers its services. More information on R1, including its aims and costs can be found in DBS’ most recently published Annual Report and Accounts, link here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/445942/DBS_ARA_2014_to_2015_accessible.pdfThe DBS is reliant on police forces completing their checks in a timely manner and the average turnaround time for disclosure checks will continue to be dependent on the operational effectiveness of respective forces.

Psychoactive Substances Act 2016

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 April 2016 to Question 33406, when the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 will come into force in its entirety.

Karen Bradley: The commencement regulations for the Psychoactive Substances Act were laid on 5 May 2016 and the Act will come into force on 26 May 2016.

Vetting: Dorset

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 19309, if she will publish a summary of the recovery plan drawn up for Dorset Police.

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 19309, what challenges have been faced by Dorset Police and have affected performance levels in completing Disclosure and Barring Service checks.

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 19309, what percentage of Disclosure and Barring Service applications in Dorset have not been completed within the 60 day maximum period since 1 December 2014.

Karen Bradley: The operational performance plans of police disclosure units are matters for Chief Constables in association with Police and Crime Commissioners. The Dorset recovery plan is addressing a number of challenges which have affected performance levels, including the implementation of an upgraded IT system and the recruitment of additional staff to enable it to improve its disclosure turnaround times. Of disclosure certificates dispatched to individuals with a Dorset postcode between December 2014 and March 2016, 16% were not completed within 60 days.

Proceeds of Crime

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the value was of assets (a) subject to restraint orders and (b) recovered using confiscation orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each year since 2009-10.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many confiscation orders were issued under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each year since 2009-10; how many of those orders were not enforced; and of those orders not enforced how many people subject to those orders were in prison.

Mr John Hayes: The value of assets subject to restraint orders between 2009-10 and 2015-16 is shown in the tables below.Orders are counted as fully paid where the outstanding balance, including any interest payable, is nil. There is no central record which would show how many people subject to unenforced orders were serving prison sentences.Data is extracted from reports run on 4 May 2016 using the Joint Asset Recovery Database (JARD). JARD is a central repository of information relating to the seizure of the proceeds of crime.JARD is a live database which is continually updated. As such, the data provided may vary from reports run on earlier dates.Restraint Orders issued in England & Wales2009-102010-112011-122012-132013-142014-20152015-16Values (in millions)£648.68m£873.40m£500.78m£463.75m£393.70m£368.18m£448.10m Gross confiscation receipts – includes compensation paid to victims and receiver’s fees2009-102010-112011-122012-132013-142014-20152015-16Values (in millions)£110.39m£113.55m£124.58m£134.85m£139.20m£155.67m£206.30m Year2009-102010-112011-122012-132013-142014-20152015-16Number of confiscation orders issued5592642562686401604359265900

Forced Marriage

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of forced marriage the police investigated in England as that offence in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of criminalising forced marriage.

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department spent on raising the profile of forced marriage as a criminal offence in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

Karen Bradley: We made forced marriage a criminal offence in 2014 to better protect victims and send a clear message that this abhorrent practice will not be tolerated in the UK.The Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) (a joint FCO and Home Office Unit) leads the Government's forced marriage policy, outreach and casework. It carries out a range of awareness raising work, including a comprehensive programme of outreach, new e-learning for professionals, and the launch of short film aimed at deterring potential perpetrators. For the financial years 2014-16, the Home Office has allocated £200,000 to the FMU.Statistics on the number of cases of forced marriage investigated by the police are not collected centrally. The Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) most recent violence against women and girls report shows that the volume of referrals from the police to the CPS with a forced marriage element is going up: from 67 in 2013-14, to 82 in 2014-15. In addition, to date over 1,000 Forced Marriage Protection Orders have been issued to prevent marriages from taking place and to assist in repatriating victims.We are encouraged by the first conviction secured in June last year, but there is still work to be done. We want to see more victims having the confidence to come forward and being identified by the police. As part of the wider work to improve the police response to so-called ‘honour’ based violence, we will continue to work with the partners to review the implementation of the new legislation and lead efforts to tackle this barbaric crime.

Passports: Gender

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will issue a response to Early Day Motion 660, Legal recognition for people who do not associate with a particular gender.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 09 May 2016



UK passports currently recognise only male and female genders. To introduce a third category, such a denoted by an ‘X’ in the passport, would require a change in UK primary legislation.The Government is currently considering this issue as part of its response to the report on Transgender Equality by the Women and Equalities Select Committee.

Companies: Ownership

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what powers the police have to obtain information on the beneficial ownership of companies when considering whether to impose restraint orders or confiscation orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Mr John Hayes: As part of a criminal investigation, police can also conduct a parallel confiscation investigation using the powers in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. The purpose of a confiscation investigation is to obtain a confiscation order following the offender’s conviction. As part of that process, and in order to preserve assets for confiscation, a restraint order can be obtained at any point during the criminal investigation or proceeding to effectively freeze those assets. The powers provided by Part 8 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 for a confiscation investigation are a production order, a search and seizure warrant, a disclosure order, a customer information order and an account monitoring order. A disclosure order effectively empowers an investigator to demand information and evidence, including by way of an interview. A customer information order requires any financial institution to provide information they possess on an individual or business including details of any customer due diligence information.

Violent and Sex Offender Register

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people on the dangerous persons database are (a) missing and (b) wanted; and for what offence or reason those people are on that database.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office does not hold this data. Statistical information from the ViSOR dangerous persons database is owned by the police, and the Home Office does not have access to this information.

Human Trafficking: Children

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on rolling out independent child trafficking advocates.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 09 May 2016



The Government is committed to introducing appropriate support for trafficked children. It is important we get these structures right however, given the significant risks to these children.In line with the requirements of Section 48(7) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the Government laid a report before Parliament in December 2015 setting out the steps we proposed to take in relation to independent child trafficking advocates. The full report can be obtained here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-child-trafficking-advocates-trial-government-reportSince December 2015, we have worked to address issues identified during the trial. We have engaged with Members of both Houses, the offices of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and Children’s Commissioner for England. We have also sought views from the voluntary sector and statutory organisations in England and Wales. This engagement has been valuable in assessing how best to deliver an improved service for trafficked children in England and Wales.As part of this engagement, I wrote to the Chairs of the three All Party Parliamentary Groups with the strongest interest in the trial in March, saying that I would wait to receive their views in writing before making a statement to the House about how we will proceed. This week I received letters from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery and from the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner. I am reflecting on their recommendations and will provide an update to Parliament once we have had an opportunity to consider their valuable input.

Harassment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many harassment warnings each police force in England issued in the most recent financial year for which figures are available.

Karen Bradley: The information requested is not collected centrally. The issuance of Harassment Warning Notices, also known as Police Information Notices (PINs), is an operational matter for Chief Constables. Responsibility for the publication of information relating to PINs rests with Chief Constables.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Burma: Human Rights

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Burmese counterpart on the arrest and imprisonment of human rights activist U Gambira; and whether he has made an assessment of the living conditions of his imprisonment.

Mr Hugo Swire: We are concerned by the arrest and imprisonment of U Gambira. Together with our international partners we have been following his case closely, including attending court hearings on his case. While we have not made a formal assessment of the living conditions of his imprisonment, we are aware that a number of local and international NGOs have expressed general concerns about the conditions in Burmese prisons. The UK has consistently lobbied the Government of Burma to release all political prisoners.

Indonesia: Minority Groups

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has provided assistance to the Indonesian government on reforming discriminatory legislation against (a) religious minorities and (b) other minority groups.

Mr Hugo Swire: We have offered assistance and expertise to the Indonesian government on its Bill of Protection for Religious Communities. More broadly, our Ambassador in Jakarta has raised the issue of freedom of religion or belief with the Minister of Religious Affairs, Indonesian civil society, and religious leaders. Our Deputy Head of Mission in Jakarta has also raised these issues with the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection.

Indonesia: Minority Groups

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Indonesian government on the Gerakan Fajar Nusantara Gafatar religious community in Indonesia.

Mr Hugo Swire: Our Ambassador in Jakarta has raised these issues with the Minister of Religious Affairs, Indonesian civil society, and religious leaders. He urged them to ensure the rights of all individuals to practise their religion or belief freely were fully respected and protected. Our Deputy Head of Mission in Jakarta has also raised the situation of the Gafatar community with the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection.

Indonesia: Corporal Punishment

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of Indonesia on the case of a Christian woman sentenced to caning in Aceh following her being charged with selling alcohol.

Mr Hugo Swire: We condemn the use of corporal punishment. We welcome public comments made by the head of the EU delegation in Jakarta in November 2015 that the Government of the special territory of Aceh must safeguard human rights and protect the rights of minorities, regardless of religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

Weapons: Proliferation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what financial contributions his Department has made to the activities of (a) the International Atomic Energy Agency, (b) the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation, (c) the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, (d) the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and (e) the Arms Trade Treaty in each of the last six years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 05 May 2016.The correct answer should have been:

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has made the following financial contributions over the last six years.International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) = £2,127,798.Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation = £152,800.Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty = £487,547.Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention = £304,372.Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) = £187,254.These figures are broken down by financial year in the attached document.Additionally over this period the FCO has contributed over £2.5 million to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism into the use of chemical weapons in Syria. This does not include the UK subscription which is paid by DECC.We have also supported projects in support of these treaties and organisations. For example the FCO has funded a number of projects over the years aimed at assisting countries to sign and ratify the ATT.



Attachment to PQ36136 Yearly Breakdown
(PDF Document, 83.84 KB)

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has made the following financial contributions over the last six years.International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) = £2,127,798.Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation = £152,800.Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty = £487,547.Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention = £304,372.Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) = £187,254.These figures are broken down by financial year in the attached document.Additionally over this period the FCO has contributed over £2.5 million to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism into the use of chemical weapons in Syria. This does not include the UK subscription which is paid by DECC.We have also supported projects in support of these treaties and organisations. For example the FCO has funded a number of projects over the years aimed at assisting countries to sign and ratify the ATT.



Attachment to PQ36136 Yearly Breakdown
(PDF Document, 83.84 KB)

Open Doors UK

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will provide funding to support the work of the charity Open Doors in tackling the persecution of Christians around the world.

Mr David Lidington: The Government values our close working relationship with a wide range of NGOs working on human rights issues, including Open Doors. Whilst we are not currently providing funding to Open Doors, it is open to them to apply to the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy for funding to implement specific projects overseas. The fund supports targeted projects which aim to tackle the root causes of human rights violations, strengthen institutions and governance, promote and protect human rights, and support democracy and the rule of law.

Israel: Palestinians

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to help achieve a two-state solution that is acceptable to the people of both Israel and Palestine.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We remain focused on steps which will secure progress towards a two-state solution. We continue to believe that the best way to achieve this is through negotiations. We are in close consultation with international partners about what kind of renewed process might lead to progress. We continue to press both sides on the need to refrain from taking any action which takes us further away from securing a lasting peace. We believe that if both parties show the bold leadership and political strength necessary to find a way forward, a two-state solution remains possible.

British Overseas Territories: Shipping

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, under what circumstances the Government can take ships up from trade which are registered with flags of British Overseas Territories.

James Duddridge: Any vessel registered in the UK, an Overseas Territory or a Crown Dependency, is a ‘British ship’ and is entitled to fly the British Merchant Shipping flag (the 'Red Ensign'). The UK remains the flag State for all ships flying the Red Ensign and is ultimately responsible under international law for these ships. The UK has general superintendence over the ship registers in the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. This general superintendence derives from the UK’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea regarding ships flying its flag; these obligations have been implemented in domestic legislation.Under prerogative powers all British flagged vessels (including those on UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependency registers) can be requisitioned where there is deemed to be a threat to the realm. Conscription of all British flagged vessels is done by Government Order. Such Order is enacted only during national crisis, such as war. The decision to use such Order is decided on a case by case basis by the Government of the day. For example, this Order was enacted during the Falklands War.

Tibet: Human Rights

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to Freedom in the World 2016, published by Freedom House in January 2016, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding that Tibet is the second least free country in the world.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Government regards the Tibet Autonomous Region as part of the People’s Republic of China. We do have concerns about rights and freedoms in Tibet. We urge the Chinese authorities to respect freedom of religion, expression and association in Tibet in line with China’s constitution and the international frameworks to which it is a party.

Bangladesh: Assassination

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Bangladesh on the increase in and alleged official toleration of extra-judicial killings in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: Allegations of extra-judicial killings in Bangladesh are deeply concerning. We follow progress closely and raise concerns where there are credible allegations. We take human rights in Bangladesh seriously, naming it as one of 30 Human Rights Priority Countries in this year’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights and Democracy report. In my speech during a House of Commons debate on the future of Bangladesh in June 2015 I reiterated our call for the Bangladesh Government to hold the perpetrators to account through impartial, transparent investigations.

Tibet: China

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on what occasions ministers of his Department raised the issue of Tibet during visits to China since May 2015.

Mr Hugo Swire: In addition to our UK-China Human Rights Dialogues, we continue to make our views on Tibet known to the Chinese authorities through various channels. In June 2015 and November 2015 I set out to Parliament our concerns about rights and freedoms in the Tibetan Autonomous Region. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy also covers these issues.

China: Human Rights

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the outcome of the last round of the UK-China human rights dialogue; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: The 22nd round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue was held in Beijing on 21-22 April 2015. It provided for detailed, expert engagement on a wide range of human rights concerns, resulting in a frank exchange of views. Our current assessment of the human rights situation in China can be seen in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy.

Tibet: Railways

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential consequences for native Tibetans of the planned railway expansion from China into Tibet.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not made an assessment of the expansion of China’s railway network in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. We collect information about developments in Tibet from a wide range of reports, such as those made by the Chinese authorities and by Non-Governmental Organisations.

Tibet: Sovereignty

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what benefits for Tibet have been achieved by the change of the Government's position on its status.

Mr Hugo Swire: On 29 October 2008, the then Foreign Secretary (David Miliband) clarified the Government’s position on Tibet to the House, stating that: ‘our interest is in long-term stability, which can only be achieved through respect for human rights and greater autonomy for the Tibetans’. That remains the view of this Government. For our assessment of the current human rights situation in China, including Tibet, I refer the Hon. Member to the 2015 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy, published on 21 April.

China: Diplomatic Service

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK officials are based in China; and how many were based in that country in (a) 2010, (b) 2005 and (c) 1997.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) publishes the number of UK FCO officials overseas in its Annual Report. In the financial year 2014/15 there were 114 UK FCO officials based in China and in the financial year 2010/11 there were 113 UK FCO officials based in China. Information prior to 2010 is not held in a way that enables us to accurately report the staffing position overseas.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Dairy Products

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of dairy products procured for his Department was sourced from British producers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mr David Lidington: For the financial year 2015/6, 84% of dairy products (by value) procured as part of the UK contracted catering service in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office were sourced from British producers.

Nigeria: Boko Haram

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to encourage Nigeria to tackle Fulani militia attacks on non-Muslim villagers in the central Nigeria states of Plateau, Kaduna, Bauchi, Taraba and Benue; and whether the Government has offered any assistance to people displaced by ongoing violence in Agatu in the state of Benue.

James Duddridge: We are concerned by reports of recurrent clashes involving pastoralists and local farmers over land, farming rights, grazing routes and access to water in Nigeria, in particular in the centre of the country. We continue to call on all parties to find a peaceful solution to the underlying causes of these incidents, and welcome President Buhari’s commitment to prioritise ending these attacks.The Department for International Development’s £39 million Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme (NSRP) supports a range of initiatives across Nigeria to reduce conflicts and build bridges between communities. These include programmes that bring cattle herder and farming communities together to reduce conflict and agree rules for land and water use.

Nigeria: Boko Haram

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of a possible relationship between the activities of Boko Haram and those of armed Fulani herders in Nigeria.

James Duddridge: We are concerned by reports of recurrent clashes involving pastoralists and local farmers over land, farming rights, grazing routes and access to water in Nigeria, in particular in the centre of the country. We continue to call on all parties to find a peaceful solution to the underlying causes of these incidents.Boko Haram is known to cooperate with criminal gangs and use illicit networks to facilitate the movement of weapons and persons in the region. However, we have no evidence that Boko Haram is involved in these violent clashes.Together with international partners, we will continue supporting Nigeria, and its neighbours to tackle threats to regional stability.

Libya

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his oral statement of 19 April 2016, Official Report, column 782, how much of the £10 million in support for Libya will be counted towards (a) the Official Development Assistance target of 0.7 per cent of GNI, (b) the NATO defence spending target of 2 per cent GNI and (c) jointly towards both targets.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I can confirm that the vast majority of the £10 million allocated under the Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund (CSSF) for Libya in 2016/17 will qualify as Official Development Assistance (ODA). It is likely that some of the allocation for Libya – whether ODA or non ODA - will count towards the NATO defence spending target of 2 per cent of Gross National Income, but we would expect this to be small. It will not be possible to provide precise figures until the end of the financial year.

Dag Hammarskjold

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK has released all the information it has in its possession relating to the death of Dag Hammarskjold to the Independent Panel of Experts.

Mr Philip Hammond: The vast majority of UK material relevant to the death of Dag Hammarskjold has already been released to The National Archives at Kew, where it is accessible to the public. In response to a request from the UN Independent Panel established in 2015 to examine the value of new information related to the death of former UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) coordinated a search across all relevant UK Government departments. None of these departments identified any pertinent material. In addition, the FCO also reviewed again a small number of file extracts that had previously been withheld. The review concluded that, although these file extracts did not contain any substantive information likely to be of interest to the Panel, they should continue to be withheld under Section 3(4) of the UK Public Records Act, for security-related reasons. The FCO wrote to the Panel, assuring it that the redactions consist of short individual pieces of text and that the FCO had not retained whole documents or files. Our assessment continues to be that all the information of value to the Panel has already been released to The National Archives and that release of the redacted material would not provide anything of additional value for the Panel’s work.

Attorney General

European Convention on Human Rights

Catherine West: To ask the Attorney General, when he last discussed the UK's membership of the European Convention on Human Rights with the Home Secretary.

Catherine West: To ask the Attorney General, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the UK's membership of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Jeremy Wright: I meet regularly with Ministerial colleagues, including the Home Secretary, to discuss important issues of common interest, including domestic and international human rights law. I am not able to provide information about any legal content of those discussions because, by longstanding convention, the fact that the Law Officers have advised, or have not advised, and the content of their advice is not disclosed outside government.

Forced Marriage: Prosecutions

Naz Shah: To ask the Attorney General, how many people were prosecuted in England for forced marriage in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

Jeremy Wright: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) collects information to show the number of defendants prosecuted for offences relating to forced marriages identified by way of a monitoring flag applied to the case record. The flag is applied where any offence of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse has been carried out in the context of a forced marriage. During the financial year 2014-15 the CPS prosecuted 45 defendants in England and 46 defendants nationally (England and Wales) for offences associated with forced marriages. CPS figures in relation to the financial year 2015-16 will be placed in the House of Commons Library later this year.A specific offence of forced marriage was created by section 121 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 and came into force in June 2014. This offence applies to a person who intentionally forces a person to enter into marriage, believing the person does not consent, or a person who deceives someone into going abroad for the specific purpose of forcing them to marry. During 2014-15, the CPS commenced one prosecution in relation to forced marriage and two in relation to breaches of forced marriage protection orders.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Redundancy

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will extend the protective award to employees made redundant at a company which dismisses more than 20 people across the organisation but fewer than 20 people in individual working environments.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 04 May 2016



 The Government has no plans to bring forward legislation amending collective redundancy provisions and the treatment of ‘establishment’. The European Court of Justice has confirmed that ‘establishment’ means the individual workplace and not necessarily the whole enterprise.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the proposed TTIP agreement provides equality of competition for US and EU companies in the tendering of public service contracts.

Anna Soubry: The Procurement Chapter in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will not require the Government to outsource public services, and it will only apply to specified services sectors. The Procurement Chapter is still being negotiated – the EU and US made their first exchange of offers in February. Our aim is to enhance the opportunities for UK companies seeking to operate in the US. An assessment for the European Commission suggests that around 10% of the EU's potential economic gains could come from liberalisation of procurement in the US. Therefore, the Procurement Chapter is expected to contain an obligation not to discriminate in favour of domestic firms when procuring services.

Living Wage

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to discourage employers from cutting staff benefits on the grounds that implementing the national living wage compels them to do so.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 04 May 2016



It is for employers to decide how to manage increases in their wage bill. Many employers will be giving their staff a pay rise and maintaining other benefits. Employers need to ensure their pay and reward packages are competitive to retain and develop the people and talent they need for their business. Employers should be planning ahead, taking steps to boost their productivity and maintain an effective workforce. In every case they must pay at least the statutory National Living Wage, or the National Minimum Wage for workers aged under 25.

Students: Loans

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that nationals of other EU member states who have taken out student loans but do not reside or work in the UK make their loan repayments.

Joseph Johnson: The Student Loans Company (SLC) has arrangements in place to collect repayments from borrowers who move away from the UK. SLC establishes a 12 month repayment schedule based on the borrower’s income and provides information on the methods of repayment available.SLC sets up fixed repayment schedules for borrowers who do not remain in contact and will place those borrowers in arrears. Further action, including legal action, can then be taken to secure recovery. EC regulations allow the SLC to obtain judgments in UK courts, which can be enforced by courts in other EU countries.The Department published a Joint Repayment Strategy in February 2016, which sets out how action will be taken to trace borrowers and act to recover loans where avoidance or evasion is identified. This publication can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/student-loan-repayment-strategy

Skilled Workers: Vacancies

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans his Department has to help fill potential skills shortages  resulting from the £35,000 income requirement for settlement of Tier 2 skilled workers over the next five years.

Nick Boles: Recognised shortage occupations are exempt from the £35,000 threshold as are PhD level roles. In other cases the Government believes that it is reasonable to require Tier 2 skilled migrants to earn a minimum of £35,000 to be eligible to settle in the UK. Tier 2 workers are in graduate-level roles, and £35,000 reflects the 2011 median pay for UK workers in skilled jobs which qualified for Tier 2.Employers and visa holders have had time to prepare. The previous Government announced in 2012 that, from 6 April 2016, Tier 2 visa holders who applied for settlement in the UK would be required to meet the £35,000 threshold. The Home Office published a full impact assessment on proposed changes to Tier 2 settlement rules when they were laid before Parliament on 15 March 2012. This is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/117957/impact-assessment-tier2.pdf.’Skills are a devolved matter. In England we are supporting 3 million more apprenticeships in this Parliament, including degree apprenticeships and more at the higher levels. We are also focussing on the higher level skills employers demand by introducing ground breaking reforms to technical and professional education to support sectors where there are recognised skills gaps, and establishing national colleges to deliver high level specialist vocational skills.

Financial Services

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he has taken to support (a) peer-to-peer lending and (b) challenger banks.

Anna Soubry: Access to finance on flexible, competitive terms is essential for growing businesses. Challenger banks and alternative finance providers have an important role to play in widening choice and promoting competition.Government is bringing into effect provisions in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 which will require the largest banks - where they decline lending requests from small business customers - to offer those customers the opportunity for their details to be referred to a government-designated funding platform. These platforms will be brought into operation later this year and will allow SMEs to match their requirements with offers from peer-to-peer platforms and challenger banks.During the last 12 months, the British Business Bank has supported 3,301 businesses through the peer-to-peer platforms Funding Circle, RateSetter and Zopa. The British Business Bank also supports the growth of challenger banks by providing wholesale funds alongside private sector investors.

Tobacco: Retail Trade

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of introduction of a tobacco licensing regime on small retailers and convenience stores.

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the potential annual cost to tobacco (a) retailers and (b) wholesalers of the introduction of a licensing regime.

Anna Soubry: My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has not made an assessment of the impacts of introducing a tobacco licensing regime or an estimate of annual cost. Under the Government’s Better Regulation framework, where regulatory measures that impact on business are being considered, it is the responsibility of the Secretary of State of the Department introducing the measure to ensure that an assessment is undertaken. This allows decisions to be taken with a clear understanding of the likely impacts of any measure. As announced in the 2015 Autumn Statement, HM Revenue and Customs are currently consulting on whether to introduce a tobacco licensing regime and responses to this consultation should inform any assessment, including the potential effect on small retailers and convenience stores.

Scottish Power: Misrepresentation

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department plans to respond formally to (a) the recommendations relating to corporate dishonesty and regulatory failure and (b) other recommendations in the report of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Scottish Power Cashback Mis-selling, published on 20 April 2016.

Anna Soubry: The Government notes the APPG’s report on Scottish Power and the PowerPlan Cashback Promise.Two investigations have already been undertaken into the ‘cashback companies’ and Scottish Power. The first in 2002 was by the Office of Fair Trading, which made recommendations concerning the rules for customers to claim cashback and which the companies implemented. The second, in 2004, was by the Department of Trade and Industry under s447 of the Companies Act 1985. This investigation is confidential, and the findings are prevented by law from publication.However it was concluded that there were no grounds for taking further action either against the companies, Scottish Power or the directors involved. This was reviewed again in 2014 when reports were received from the liquidators of the companies, but the position did not change. I can confirm that no new s447 investigation will be taking place.The Government has no power to determine liability in this case and has no legal standing to intervene in what is a commercial claim by the liquidator of a limited company against Scottish Power. The liquidation of the companies involved in the scheme is still under way, and the creditors of those companies will receive reports from the liquidators if they are to be paid further dividends.

Minimum Wage: Arrears

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 15 February 2016 to Question 26319, what the total amount of arrears recovered by HM Revenue and Customs for non-compliance with the national minimum wage was in 2015-16; how many (a) workers and (b) employers those arrears were related to; and how many of those employers (i) received a financial penalty and (ii) have been named and shamed for that non-compliance.

Nick Boles: In 2015-16 the Government recovered almost £10.3m of arrears for over 58,000 workers, from 958 employers. 813 of these employers were issued with a Notice of Underpayment (NoU) and had to pay a penalty.In 2015/16, the Government named 280 employers. However, not all cases are put forward for naming, in particular:- Where an investigation commenced before the advent of the naming scheme.- Where an employer self-corrected the arrears and paid back to workers.- Where the arrears owed were £100 or less.- Where a case is being considered for criminal prosecution.Furthermore, employers are not named at the point when a NoU is issued. Under the National Minimum Wage regulations, employers have 28 days to appeal against an NoU. They then have a further 14 days to make representations to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills against being named. Some of the cases identified in 2015-16 will therefore be considered for naming in future rounds.

Space Technology

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to increase inward investment to the commercial satellite communications and space industry.

Joseph Johnson: Inward investment is a key pillar in the strategy to grow the UK’s share of the global space economy to £40 billion by 2030. Officials from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) work with overseas commercial satellite operators using specialists through an existing network of inward investment teams in overseas posts, UKTI’s regional Investment Services Team, and local partners to support those wishing to come to the UK. They also work closely with officials in the UK Space Agency who provide advice on licensing and operating a spacecraft from the UK and access to competitive R&D funding either through national programmes, EU programmes or through our membership of the European Space Agency (ESA). The UK Space Agency and UKTI also support overseas satellite operators in their dealings with Ofcom, who are responsible for the allocation of the radio spectrum in the UK - a vital resource for new satellite business ventures. The Government will continue to work with companies to provide practical and tailored support to support their inward investment plans.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what role his Department has played in the negotiation of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP); and what negotiations on TTIP he has attended as a representative of the Government.

Anna Soubry: The European Commission conducts trade negotiations – including the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) – on behalf of the EU and its Member States. In the UK, the Department, for Business, Innovation and Skills has the lead policy responsibility for TTIP. Ministers and officials are in regular formal and informal contact with officials from the European Commission, EU Member States and US, as we work to secure an agreement that benefits UK businesses, workers and consumers. This includes discussions with negotiators, legislators, administrations, and various other stakeholders from the EU and US.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether (a) the Government will be able to bring cases to Investor State Dispute Settlements tribunals and (b) UK companies will be able to instigate actions against the US administration through such tribunals under the current terms of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what provisions are in place to ensure that the jurisdiction of Investor State Dispute Settlement tribunal hearings remains restricted to its current mandate under the terms of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Anna Soubry: Investment protection provisions in trade and investment treaties such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) aim to protect international investors from discriminatory or unfair treatment by a state. Their investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions allow international investors to bring claims if they think the obligations set out in the treaty have been breached by the host state. As such, Governments cannot initiate claims against investors. Under the European Commission’s proposals for TTIP, in line with normal investment treaty practice, UK investors would be able to bring ISDS claims against the US Government.The jurisdiction of any ISDS tribunal established in TTIP will be set out in the investment protection and ISDS provisions of the agreement. The aim of the European Commission’s proposals for investment protection provisions in TTIP is to clearly define the scope for ISDS claims and tribunal jurisdiction, including protecting the right of governments to regulate lawfully in the public interest. If an ISDS tribunal did exceed its jurisdiction in making an award, typically those elements of the resulting award would not be enforceable.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the decision-making process followed by local enterprise partnerships is transparent.

Anna Soubry: We’ve set out clear standards on transparent decision making, which Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) must comply with through their local assurance frameworks. These are verified by their accountable section 151 officers. We commissioned the Government Internal Audit Agency to review the quality of these frameworks, and keep the system under review through annual performance conversations with each LEP.

Department for International Development

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her Department's policies on funding the UN Relief and Works Agency of the use of funding from that agency by a Palestinian NGO to organise a tree-planting ceremony honouring people including Palestinian terrorists.

Mr Desmond Swayne: We have raised this allegation with the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) who have confirmed that UNRWA has no present relationship with the NGO in question, Union of Agriculture Workers Committees (UAWC). In monitoring DFID support for UNRWA, we pay stringent attention to their neutrality policy and values of peace. We maintain a close dialogue with UNRWA on neutrality issues, and we take allegations of incitement very seriously indeed, raising them whenever appropriate.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how her Department measures the effectiveness of spending in the Palestinian territories by UN agencies to which her Department contributes funds.

Mr Desmond Swayne: In the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) the UK provides funding to a number of UN agencies including the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), UN Women, the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO). We monitor programmes throughout the year and annually assess their delivery against targets. DFID also monitors its results framework for the OPTs quarterly to ensure results being delivered are in line with those planned.

Disaster Relief: Finance

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the recommendations of the report of the Public Accounts Committee, Department for International Development: responding to crises, published on 20 April 2016, what steps she is taking to ensure that her Department improves its system of accounting for ODA spend on humanitarian emergencies.

Justine Greening: The Government will respond to the Committee’s recommendations in the usual way in a Treasury Minute which will be laid before Parliament.

Bangladesh: Overseas Aid

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much the UK has provided in development aid to Bangladesh in each year since 2000; and what information her Department holds on what proportion of total development aid to Bangladesh UK aid represents in each of those years.

Mr Desmond Swayne: 2000200120022003200420052006UK ODA (USD Millions)103124102260253203139 20072008200920102011201220132014246253250228369311425343 Total ODA from all donors to Bangladesh can be found here: https://stats.oecd.org/qwids/

Bangladesh: Primary Education

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of UK development aid on increasing primary school attendance in Bangladesh since 2000.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK has supported significant improvements in primary school attendance through its contribution to the primary education sector programme and projects working with NGOs and civil society.Overall primary school attendance increased in Bangladesh from 84% to 97% between 2010 and 2015.Since 2010, DFID has supported 820,000 children (including 456, 000 girls) in primary education, of which 462,000 (261,000 girls) completed primary education.

Department for Education

Extended Schools: Finance

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2015, to Question 31427, whether her Department plans to provide additional funding to enable 25 per cent of secondary schools to extend their school day in the event that less than £285 million is available from the soft drinks industry levy.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Chancellor announced in his Budget statement that up to £285 million a year would be made available to give 25% of secondary schools increased opportunity to extend their school day to offer a wider range of activities for pupils. The soft drinks industry levy is expected to raise £520 million in the first year and the revenue will contribute to this funding.It is also confirmed that the Barnett formula will be applied to spending on this initiative in the normal way.

Schools: Finance

Kelly Tolhurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether local authorities will retain responsibility for school deficits under the proposals in her Department's White Paper, Educational excellence everywhere, published in March 2016.

Edward Timpson: Deficits for schools which convert to become sponsored academies remain with the local authority. These deficits remain with their local authority as these schools were the responsibility of the authority when they were found to be failing or underperforming and it is the authority’s responsibility for ensuring the school managed its expenditure satisfactorily. Guidance on how deficits for converter and sponsored academies are dealt with is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416430/School_balances_on_conversion_submission.pdfLocal authorities are responsible for ensuring the financial viability of maintained schools and ensuring any deficits are cleared within 3 years.

Social Services: Children

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of immigration from (a) EEA member states and (b) states from outside the EEA on the level of demand for children's services in each year from 2016 to 2030.

Edward Timpson: The Department uses population projections published by the Office for National Statistics, which include migration, to plan for future demand on children’s services.

Sex and Relationship Education

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the academisation of all schools on the provision of sex and relationship education in maintained secondary schools; and whether she plans to introduce a requirement on academies to provide sex and relationship education.

Edward Timpson: All maintained secondary schools are required to teach sex and relationship education and we also expect academies to teach it as part of a broad and balanced curriculum.When any school, including academies, teaches SRE, they must have regard to the Secretary of State’s statutory Sex and Relationship Education Guidance (2000). The guidance makes clear that all SRE lessons should be age-appropriate and that schools should ensure young people develop positive values and a moral framework that will guide their decisions, judgments and behaviour.Academies and free schools must have regard to the SRE guidance further to section 403 of the Education Act 1996. The model funding agreement can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-and-free-school-funding-agreements-single-academy-trust

Schools: Finance

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to mitigate the cost to local authorities of schools that are in deficit transferring to academy status.

Edward Timpson: Holding answer received on 05 May 2016



Deficits for schools which convert to become sponsored academies remain with the local authority. These deficits remain with their local authority as these schools were the responsibility of the authority when they were found to be failing or underperforming and it is the authority’s responsibility for ensuring the school managed its expenditure satisfactorily. Guidance on how deficits for converter and sponsored academies are dealt with is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416430/School_balances_on_conversion_submission.pdfLocal authorities are responsible for ensuring the financial viability of maintained schools and ensuring any deficits are cleared within 3 years.

Pupil Premium: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the total amount paid in pupil premium funding to schools in Coventry in each year since the beginning of such funding; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Total pupil premium allocations for schools in Coventry local authority for each year are:Pupil Premium Allocations (£millions)2011-20122012-20132013-20142014-20152015-2016Coventry local authority (including academies)5.1579.29914.38318.85818.634

Further Education: Vocational Education

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to promote career colleges; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Boles: Career Colleges will have their own branding and identity and are independent of Government policy, so it is not for Government to promote them directly. However, we do support any organisation which is focused on providing high quality technical education to young people.In particular, we hope Career Colleges can benefit from the protection of funding and the range of flexibilities in the system. This includes protecting the 16-19 base rate, substantial investment in apprenticeships and study programmes, which provide an opportunity to tailor provision around the needs and aspirations of each young person.

King David School Manchester: Finance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the school specific factors and historic grant factors elements of the payment by the Education Funding Authority to the King David School, Manchester, were reduced by over £1 million in 2013-14.

Mr Sam Gyimah: In 2012-13 King David School received £1.1 million in School Specific factors and Historic Grant funding. For 2013-14 local funding formulae were simplified and the number of allowable formula factors was reduced. This meant that any funding previously allocated through other factors such as Historic Grants had to be moved into one of the allowable factors. Manchester LA chose to distribute this funding at pupil level in 2013-14 using the Age Weighted Pupil Unit (AWPU) factor, the sum of money allocated to the school for each pupil according to age. As such, King David School received an increase of £630,000 in AWPU for 2013-14. Schools were also protected against losses from the introduction of the new formula using a minimum funding guarantee (MFG). In 2013-14 King David School received an increase of £430,000 under the MFG. Overall pre-16 School Budget share funding (including MFG) for the school was £3,239,833 for 596 pupils in 2012-13 and £3,236,489 for 586 pupils in 2013-14.

Ministry of Justice

Remand in Custody

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the most common reasons are why people who are remanded in custody do not go on to receive subsequent prison sentences.

Mike Penning: The reasons why some people who are remanded in custody do not then go onto receive prison sentences are not recorded. The decision to remand an individual into custody is taken by the independent judiciary. The presumption is in favour of bail, but the judiciary will use their discretion to remand an individual into custody, taking into account a number of factors including the seriousness of the crime and whether a remand into custody will be necessary to prevent absconding, committing further offences or interference with witnesses. If a defendant is subsequently given a custodial sentence, the time they have spent on a remand into custody will be deducted from their sentence.

Alternatives to Prison

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders have participated in an out-of-court restorative justice resolution on more than one occasion.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what type of (a) indictable and (b) violence against the person offences were committed by offenders who participated in an out-of-court restorative justice resolution in the last year for which information is available.

Mike Penning: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.It is vital that victims see swift and certain justice delivered to their offender. It is also vital that victims of crime get the help they need to cope with, and recover from, crime.That is why we have protected the victims’ budget and given Police and Crime Commissioners greater flexibility to decide which services are needed in their local area. Restorative Justice can be a part of a wide range of services offered to victims of crime, and we are providing advice and guidance to help Police and Crime Commissioners deliver it.

Pre-trial Procedures: Crimes of Violence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of offenders were (a) remanded in custody and (b) released on court bail after being charged with an offence of (i) common assault, (ii) actual bodily harm, (iii) grievous bodily harm and (iv) assault in the latest year for which information is available.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of (a) men and (b) women who were remanded in custody (i) before conviction and (ii) after conviction did not go on to receive a custodial sentence for each offence type in the last year for which information is available.

Mike Penning: It has not proven possible to respond to these questions within the timeframe available before prorogation.

Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of participation in out-of-court restorative justice on re-offending rates.

Mike Penning: It is vital that victims see swift and certain justice delivered to their offender. It is also vital that victims of crime get the help they need to cope with, and recover from, crime. That is why we have protected the victims’ budget and given Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) greater flexibility to decide which services are needed in their local area. Restorative Justice can be a part of a wide range of services offered to victims of crime, and we are providing advice and guidance to help PCCs deliver it. There has been no assessment on the impact on reoffending rates of participation in restorative justice as part of an out of court disposal.

Police National Computer

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to place the offences committed by offenders who participate in out-of-court restorative justice on the Police National Computer and make them available to courts dealing with any future offending.

Mike Penning: It is vital that victims see swift and certain justice delivered to their offender. It is also vital that victims of crime get the help they need to cope with, and recover from, crime. That is why we have protected the victims’ budget and given Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) greater flexibility to decide which services are needed in their local area. Restorative Justice can be a part of a wide range of services offered to victims of crime, and we are providing advice and guidance to help PCCs deliver it. Restorative justice is not a disposal in its own right and there are no plans to record participation in restorative justice on the Police National Computer unless this is already recorded as part of a conditional caution or other formal disposal.

Forced Marriage Protection Orders

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many forced marriage protection orders were issued in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

Caroline Dinenage: Statistics on Forced Marriage Protection Orders are published by the Ministry of Justice and are available as part of the Family Courts Statistics Quarterly series athttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-court-statistics-quarterly.

Prisoners

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make available quarterly data on the (a) number of prisoners who have received sentences of imprisonment for public protection who are on recall and (b) average period of time spent in prison on recall by such prisoners before release or transfer to open conditions for the period 2012 to 2016.

Andrew Selous: Supporting imprisonment for public protection (IPP) prisoners in progressing towards release once they have completed their tariff is a priority. In particular, getting IPP prisoners access to any accredited programmes and other interventions which they need to help them reduce their risk of harm is a focus. In December 2014, NOMS established a Progression Regime in closed conditions for IPP and life sentence prisoners who are not eligible for open conditions. This provides such prisoners with an alternative way to demonstrate reduced risk to the Parole Board. Quarterly data on the number of prisoners serving a sentence of IPP and who are held in custody following recall for the period 2012-2016 is set out in the table below. Recalled IPP prison population, by date30 March 20127129 June 20127730 September 201210202 January 201311831 March 201314130 June 201316830 September 201319931 December 201322131 March 201425230 June 201428730 September 201432831 December 201436431 March 201537130 June 201542630 September 201547731 December 201552631 March 20165651. Based on population snapshot on last day of quarter where available, or closest population snapshot available. To provide data on the average period of time spent in prison on recall by IPP prisoners before release or transfer to open conditions requires a manual cross checking of data. Such an exercise would exceed cost limits.

Prisoners' Release

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase the level of resources provided to enable those detained to meet the current test for release.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make available financial, activity and outcome data on the additional resources provided to enable prisoners serving sentences of imprisonment for public protection to meet the release test since 2012.

Andrew Selous: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is not able to disaggregate spending on IPP prisoners from spending on all prisoners. Supporting IPP prisoners in progressing towards release once they have completed their tariff is a priority. In particular, there is considerable focus on getting IPP prisoners access to any accredited programmes and other interventions designed to help them reduce their risk of harm. In December 2014, NOMS established a Progression Regime in closed conditions for IPP and life sentence prisoners who are not eligible for open conditions. This provides such prisoners with an alternative way to demonstrate reduced risk to the Parole Board.

Prison Sentences

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will commission an independent review into the sentencing regime for imprisonment for public protection which will involve those criminal justice agencies that manage the sentence and incorporate the experiences of prisoners and their families.

Andrew Selous: The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders 2012, abolished the sentence of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) and introduced a new sentencing scheme for dangerous offenders. In respect of IPP sentences already imposed, the government considered that it would not be right or appropriate retrospectively to alter sentences that had been lawfully imposed, particularly because in this case those sentences were imposed with public protection issues in mind. Significant numbers of IPP prisoners continue to be released where the Parole Board is satisfied that they can be safely managed in the community, but other prisoners currently remain too high risk to be released. It is a priority for us to help remaining IPP prisoners progress towards release, by ensuring that their parole reviews take place on time, through greater efficiency in the parole process, and by giving their opportunity to complete relevant interventions and work in order to demonstrate reduced risk to the Parole Board.

Offenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of (a) male and (b) female offenders pleaded guilty to each category of offence in the latest year for which figures are available.

Mike Penning: The number and percentage of offenders who pleaded guilty at all Crown Court centres, by offence group and sex, in England and Wales in 2014, can be viewed in the attached table. Information on plea at magistrates’ courts is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.



Guilty pleas at Crown Court in 2014
(Excel SpreadSheet, 39 KB)

Racially Aggravated Offences

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) offenders and (b) victims from each ethnic group involved in racially aggravated offences in the last 12 months.

Mike Penning: The information requested is not held centrally by the department.

Religiously Aggravated Offences

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) offenders and (b) victims of each religious belief involved in religiously aggravated offences in the last 12 months.

Mike Penning: It is not possible to separately identify from the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings database the religious belief of an offender. This information can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Information on the ethnicity of victims is not held.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many violent incidents per 100 prisoners were committed by prisoners of each ethnic group in the last year for which figures are available.

Andrew Selous: Statistics for assaults committed by prisoners by ethnicity are published in the Safety in Custody statistics bulletin (see table 3.6 in the following link)https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-december-2015 The Offender Management Statistics Quarterly prison population provides information on the prison population by ethnicity, (see table 1.4 in the link)https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2015

Magistrates' Courts

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average cost to the public purse was of (a) a district judge and (b) bench of magistrates hearing (i) a guilty plea case, (ii) a summary trial and (iii) an either-way trial in the last year for which figures are available.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The requested information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to publish his review of employment tribunal fees.

Dominic Raab: We will announce the conclusions of our review of fees in the Employment Tribunals in due course.

Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) out-of-court restorative justice resolutions and (b) cautions were given to (i) people on suspended prison sentences and (ii) prisoners released on licence in the latest year for which information is held.

Mike Penning: The information requested, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prime Minister

Pharmacy: Rural Areas

Sue Hayman: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral contribution of 20 April 2016, Official Report, column 915, in response to the Question from the hon. Member for Workington, and with reference to the letter to him of 21 April 2016 from that hon. Member and the oral contribution from that hon. Member of 25 April 2016, Official Report, column 1187, what scheme is in place to assist rural pharmacies; and what other support is provided by the Government to support independent pharmacies.

Mr David Cameron: This year the Government is spending over £150 million more a year on pharmacies than in 2009/10. We are currently consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme which will provide more NHS funds to many independent and rural pharmacies on the basis of factors such as location and the health needs of the local population. Details of the consultation on the ‘Community Pharmacy 2016/17 and beyond’ can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Radicalism

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to the Government's Counter-Extremism Strategy, published in October 2015, whether in his official capacity he has shared a speaking platform with people who have expressed vocal or active opposition to the UK's fundamental values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs, or who have called for the deaths of members of the armed forces.

Mr David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Islington North (Mr Corbyn) on 4 May 2016, Official Report, column 163.As set out in the Counter-Extremism Strategy, internationally we are building a more robust response to counter extremist ideology and propaganda, and continue to focus on strengthening international bodies and our partners. As Prime Minister I regularly have discussions on how we can promote British values of peace and tolerance and how to counter extremist ideology.

Ministry of Defence

Unmanned Marine Vehicles

Mr Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has (a) invested in and (b) made an assessment of the potential merits of acquiring unmanned underwater vehicles.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Royal Navy (RN) currently deploys unmanned systems to enhance maritime surveillance and improve situational awareness in a number of operational theatres.Specifically for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV), the Hunt Class Mine Countermeasure Vessels employ a UUV for remote mine-disposal, known as the Seafox mine-disposal system. In addition, the Fleet Diving Squadron employs a small UUV for seabed searches.It is widely recognised that autonomous systems offer a unique opportunity to maintain our operational advantage and the RN will therefore continue to explore how such systems can further augment its capabilities into the future.

Ministry of Defence: Complaints

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what dates reviews have been carried out of his Department's Complaints Protocol written in 2005; and what alterations have been made to that protocol as a result of each such review.

Mr Julian Brazier: The Ministry of Defence's procedures when handling complaints from members of the general public is governed by the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman who issue government departments with guidance and advice on protocols when dealing with complaints from the general public, more specifically guidance around response times and handling. Since 2005, the Ministry of Defence has updated its internal instructions (Defence Internal Notice) in 2010 and 2015, both updates did not change internal protocols but made changes to points of contact and departmental structures where required.The Ministry of Defence also operates procedures by which civil servants and Service personnel can make complaints. These are governed by separate policies respectively. For Service personnel the independent Service Complaints Ombudsman was established in 2015. Further information can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/armed-forces-service-complaints-process .

Yemen: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral evidence given to the Committees on Arms Export Controls on 27 April 2016, if he will publish the reports the Saudi Arabian military has shared with his Department on airstrikes carried out by the Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen.

Mr Philip Dunne: We will not release this information as coalition military reporting shared with the UK is sensitive operational information which we have received on privileged terms and which belongs to another country and its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and another state. Likewise, we would expect our allies and partners to protect any operational information we shared with them.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of disability benefits for which disabled refugees in the UK are eligible.

Justin Tomlinson: Refugees who are eligible must meet the same basic conditions of entitlement for disability benefits as other recipients.

Work Capability Assessment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many requests from his Department for evidence to inform a work capability assessment were (a) made and (b) responded to by GPs and other professionals, in each of the last three years; and what the professional discipline was that each of those requests were made to.

Priti Patel: Information requests made by Healthcare Professionals to inform a Work Capability Assessment: YearRequests made:Responses received:Apr. 2013 to Mar. 2014599,261396,847Apr. 2014 to Mar. 2015536,101314,170Apr. 2015 to Mar. 2016534,677280,736 Source: Centre for Health Disability Assessments (CHDA) Information on the professional discipline of the individual from whom information is requested is not held

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many requests from his Department for evidence to inform a personal independence payment assessment were (a) made and (b) responded to by GPs and other professionals in each year since the introduction of the personal independence payment; and what the professional discipline was that each of those requests were made to.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 April 2016 to Question 32963, how many people who have personal independence payments with enhanced mobility payments have initial awards of (a) three years or less and (b) greater than three years before further re-assessment is required.

Justin Tomlinson: The review date is set at 12 months before the end of the award so there are no changes to the benefit paid before the re-assessment takes place. As at 31st January 2016, there were 218,270 claims in payment with enhanced mobility payments, of which;(a) 112,340 had an initial award that had a review date of three years or less(b) 105,960 had an initial award that had a review date of greater than three years. This is unpublished data and, as such, it does not meet the quality standard required for official statistics publication. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision. Notes;1) The source of the data is the PIP computer system.2) Figures are correct as at 31st January 2016 and have been rounded to the nearest 10.3) Figures include both new claims and reassessment claims, and normal rules and special rules for the terminally ill claims.4) Figures are for Great Britain.5) We have provided data based on when the initial award’s review date was set to be, as this is the point at which the claimant would be invited to undertake an award review (i.e. further reassessment of their claim). The award review date occurs exactly 12 months before the initial claim end date.

Personal Independence Payment

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 April 2016 to Question 32963, how many people have been allocated personal independence payments with enhanced mobility payments; and how many of those people have been classed as having muscle degenerative diseases or conditions.

Justin Tomlinson: Information on the number of claimants receiving PIP, by a range of breakdowns, including award combinations in payment and main disabling condition, is published and available using Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.

Personal Independence Payment

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 April 2016 to Question 32963, how many personal independence payment awards were made without a face-to-face assessment in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency in 2015-16; and what the total number of personal independence payment assessments was in each of those areas.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested on how many Personal Independence Payment (PIP) awards were made without a face-to-face assessment is not readily available, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Information on PIP clearances by type (e.g. awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) for both new claims and reassessed claims (for those previously in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)) is available at Great Britain, Regional, Parliamentary Constituency and Local Authority level, and is published on Gov.UK: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk By adding together the number of claims ‘awarded’ and the number of claims ‘disallowed post referral to the Assessment Provider’, it is possible to calculate the total number of assessments in each area (whether carried out face to face or through a paper based review). Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.

Pension Service: Telephone Services

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people found a lost pension scheme through the Pension Tracing Service in each of the last five years.

Justin Tomlinson: The Pension Tracing Service (PTS) located the following number of schemes: 2011/12 Successful Traces 69,1432012/13 Successful Traces 93,9752013/14 Successful Traces 125,5022014/15 Successful Traces 107,8342015/16 Successful Traces 133,702 These numbers represent the number of schemes PTS located for customers but PTS have no way of knowing how many customers went on to find a lost pension.

Social Rented Housing: Housing Benefit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many social housing tenants with spare bedrooms have had their housing benefit reduced due to the removal of the under-occupancy penalty in each of the last three years.

Justin Tomlinson: The information is not available.

Electromagnetic Fields: Health Hazards

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government has taken to implement the health and safety requirements set out in EU Directive 2013/35/EU on the exposure of workers to risks arising from electromagnetic fields.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government has been working for the last three years to transpose the requirements in EU Directive 2013/35/EU by 1 July 2016. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has worked closely with industry, trade associations, unions and other affected parties in developing an implementation approach which ensures workers are properly protected and employers are not subject to unnecessary burdens. Formal public consultation gave strong support for transposing the Directive’s requirements into standalone regulations, the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations 2016, which are tightly focused on areas not covered by existing legislation. In conjunction with stakeholders, HSE has developed practical and clear guidance for employers on complying with the new regulations and managing risks from electromagnetic radiation. This will be published to coincide with the introduction of the Regulations on 1 July 2016.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Gaming Machines

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons the triennial review of (a) stake and (b) prize limits in fixed-odds betting terminals has not yet been published; and if he will make a statement.

David Evennett: In April 2015 the previous Government introduced regulations which require authorisation of stakes over £50 on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals through a “verified account” or staff interaction. The Government published its evaluation of the £50 regulations on 21 January. The evaluation paper can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-gaming-machine-circumstances-of-useamendment-regulations-2015. We will now consider the findings of the evaluation before deciding if there is a need for further action.

Eurovision Song Contest: Flags

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has made to the organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest on their refusal to allow the display of the Red Dragon flag at the 2016 contest.

Mr Edward Vaizey: I understand that the governing body of the Eurovision Song Contest has reversed its ban on the display of the Red Dragon flag. We welcome this example of European co-operation, and wish Joe Woolford and Jake Shakeshaft the best of luck on 14 May.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Public Houses

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has provided to local authorities on assessing the social and economic value of a pub to the local area; and if he will make a statement of the effectiveness of that guidance.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government has not issued guidance to local authorities on assessing the social and economic value of their local pubs. However, the British Beer and Pub Association estimate that each pub contributes £80,000 each year to its local economy and that the UK pubs industry as a whole supports 900,000 jobs.

Community Assets: Public Houses

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many pubs in England have asset of community value status.

Mr Marcus Jones: There are over 1,200 pubs that have been listed as assets of community value by communities all over England.

Community Assets: Public Houses

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the assets of community value scheme in protecting community pubs in (a) Sheffield and (b) England.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department has made no specific assessment of the effectiveness of the scheme in protecting community pubs in Sheffield or in England, although my officials are undertaking a review of the implementation of the policy in relation to all assets across the country. They are engaging a broad range of stakeholders - local authorities, community groups, property owners - to listen to their reflections and experiences concerning the policy and any evidence on how the Community Right to Bid is working in practice. The Community Right to Bid is seen by many stakeholders as a powerful way for local people to send a clear signal to their local authorities and to owners of assets that they are keen to have say on the future of buildings which are central to their lives.

Community Assets: Public Houses

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information he holds on the number of community pubs with assets of community value status that have been closed or that no longer operate as a pub.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect this information.

Community Assets: Appeals

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what processes are in place to enable a community to appeal against the rejection of an asset of community value application.

Mr Marcus Jones: There is no specific appeals process in place to enable a community to appeal against the rejection of an asset of community value application. If the nominating group feel that the local authority has not followed the due legal process in reaching a decision, the nominating group may bring any such irregularities to the attention of the local authority’s monitoring officer. In addition, if new evidence comes to light to support the case for the asset being listed, the community are able to re-nominate the asset.

Public Houses: Sheffield

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received from Sheffield City Council on protecting community pubs.

Mr Marcus Jones: I have not received any such representations.

Community Assets: Sheffield

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with Sheffield City Council on the assets of community value scheme.

Mr Marcus Jones: Sheffield City Council has not approached the Department for any discussions on the Assets of Community Value scheme.

Social Services: Pay

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the national living wage on the provision of adult care services by private companies to local authorities.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Spending Review took account of the costs of implementing the National Living Wage and set out a sustainable basis for local authorities to discharge their functions. An assessment was made which drew on projections and data on pay including information from the Office of Budget Responsibility and Skills for Care. This found that out of an estimated 1.52 million adult social care jobs in England, up to 900,000 people, are expected to benefit from the introduction of the National Living Wage. Through the Spending Review Government outlined a package of support of up to £3.5 billion to ensure councils are able to support some of their older and most vulnerable residents.

Non-domestic Rates and Revenue Support Grant

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to compensate local authorities for the potential loss of business rate revenue arising from measures announced in Budget 2016 following full devolution of business rates and abolition of the revenue support grant.

Mr Marcus Jones: Our business rates tax cuts provide significant support to local businesses.The Small Business Rate Relief measure announced at the Budget which starts in 2017-18 will mean 600,000 of the smallest businesses will not have to pay business rates. We will compensate local authorities, in full, for the loss of income as a result of this measure, in the same way as we have done for every other reduction to business rates we have made since the introduction of the business rates retention scheme.We will move to 100% business rates retention by the end of the Parliament and will establish the scheme based on the amount of business rates available to authorities at the time, which will naturally take account of increases and reductions in business rates yields, including those resulting from measures announced at Budget 2016.

Non-domestic Rates

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the Government's plans are for consultation on the top-up and tariffs system that is set to operate once business rates have become fully devolved.

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his plans are to facilitate the pooling of business rate revenue following full devolution of business rates in (a) areas that are not covered by combined authorities and (b) other areas.

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the Government's policy is on maintaining the net reallocation of business rate revenue to shire counties, districts and unitary authorities at broadly the present level in real terms following devolution of business rates.

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for the development and publication of proposals on the top-up and tariffs system that is set to operate once business rates have become fully devolved.

Mr Marcus Jones: The retention of business rates locally is an important part of our plan to take power out of Whitehall and return it to local government. This means we will no longer be taking local business rates income into Whitehall for redistribution as grant. All locally collected business rates will stay with local government.We have already been clear that we will retain redistribution within the system. We recognise that we will need to redistribute to ensure councils don’t lose out merely because they currently collect less in rates.The Government is currently working with the Local Government Association, and engaging directly with local authorities, to develop the detail of this change. This includes developing the mechanics of redistribution. As previously announced, we will consult later this year and implement this important change to the local government finance system by the end of this Parliament.

Non-domestic Rates: Greater London

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to maintain the current level of tariff applied to Greater London when the planned devolution of business rates to London takes place in April 2017.

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to maintain the current level of top-up in real terms to the Manchester and Liverpool City Regions when the planned devolution of business rates to those areas takes place in April 2017.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government is taking the opportunity to pilot approaches to 100% business rates retention in Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region and London. This will help us for example to develop the mechanisms that will be needed to manage risk and reward under 100% rates retention.Government officials are currently working with Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region and London to develop the detail around these pilots.

Non-domestic Rates: Greater London

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much business rate revenue was allocated from Greater London to other local authorities in England through top-ups and tariffs in 2015-16; and how much such revenue he estimates will be so allocated in 2016-17.

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the net value of business rate revenue reallocated to all unitary authorities in England except those in the Manchester and Liverpool city regions through the system of top-ups and tariffs in the current financial year; and what the net value of such revenue reallocated to all such unitary authorities was in 2015-16.

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of how much business rate revenue will be reallocated to the (a) Manchester and (b) Liverpool city region through the system of top-up and tariffs in the current financial year; and how much was so reallocated in 2015-16.

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much business rate revenue was reallocated to (a) shire counties and (b) district councils in England through the system of top-ups and tariffs in (i) 2015-16 and (ii) 2016-17.

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much business rate revenue was redistributed between local authorities in England through top-ups and tariffs in 2015-16; and how much such revenue he estimates will be so distributed in 2016-17.

Mr Marcus Jones: The 2015-16 business rates tariffs and top-ups for all authorities can be found on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/400329/Key_Information_for_Local_Authorities.xlsx in Column BH of the ‘All Auths’ worksheet.The 2016-17 and 2017-18 business rates tariffs and top-ups for all authorities can be found on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/499148/Key_info_for_local_authorities.xlsx in Column H of the appropriate year’s worksheet.As the Honourable Member will be aware, the Government has announced that by the end of this Parliament, local government will be able to keep 100 per cent of the business rates raised locally. This is an important part of our plan to take power out of Whitehall and return it to local government. The Government is currently working with the Local Government Association, and engaging directly with local authorities, to develop the detail of this change.

HM Treasury

Revenue and Customs: Disclosure of Information

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2016 to Question 34460, how many concerns have been captured centrally under the HM Revenue and Customs Whistleblowing and Raising a Concern Policy in the last five years; and how those concerns have been categorised for management of other purposes by his Department.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a Whistleblowing and Raising a concern policy. Since April 2014 concerns raised under this policy have been captured centrally. Prior to this date, details were only held locally. According to records held centrally by HMRC, for the period 1st April 2014 to 31st March 2015, 78 cases were logged under the Whistleblowing and Raising a Concern Policy, of which: 52 were defined as whistleblowers;20 were defined as wrongdoing (but not whistleblowing);2 were defined as grievance; and4 could not be categorised. From 1st April 2015 to date, HMRC has received a further 91 cases, of which 18 have been defined as whistleblowers. The 18 cases were categorised as per wrongdoing type, namely: Payroll and Expenses 3Conditions of service 11Revenue & Benefits 3Assets, IT & Comms 1

Motor Vehicles: Insurance Premium Tax

Karl McCartney: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to exempt drivers between the ages of 17 and 25 who have telematics black box car insurance from insurance premium tax to reduce that tax for those drivers.

Harriett Baldwin: Insurance Premium Tax is a tax on insurance companies and it is up to them how they pass it on to their customers.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance Premium Tax

Karl McCartney: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to exempt telematics car insurance policies from insurance premium tax or reduce that tax for those policies.

Harriett Baldwin: Insurance Premium Tax is a tax on insurance companies and it is up to them how they choose to pass it on to their customers.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Base Case Conditions for EU approval of state aid for Hinkley Point C, whether there have been modifications to the (a) date of 31 December 2020 and (b) cap on the amount of debt drawn until Flamanville 3 has completed the trial operation period; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: The Chancellor’s announcement on 21 September 2015 set out that the government and the Hinkley Point C project company had agreed the terms of a £2 billion guarantee through the UK Guarantees Scheme. This initial guarantee will be repaid in December 2020. There is no further obligation to issue guarantees after that date. This initial guarantee is the first tranche of debt guarantees that was approved as part of the European Commission’s approval of the wider support package for Hinkley Point C. The government is satisfied that the terms of the guarantee remain within the Closing Decision of the EU Commission.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's news story of 21 September 2015, on £2 billion support for Hinkley Point, what documentation has since been agreed and signed with EDF or other parties relating to that project.

Greg Hands: No documents have been signed with EDF or any other parties, since 21st September 2015 announcing the approval of the £2 billion guarantee for Hinkley Point.

Tobacco: Licensing

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what research his Department has conducted or commissioned on the effectiveness of tobacco licensing schemes in tackling the illicit market in tobacco; and what the outcomes of such research were.

Damian Hinds: HMRC has not conducted or commissioned any research into the effectiveness of tobacco licensing schemes in tackling the illicit market in tobacco. The World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Illicit Trade Protocol, to which the UK is a signatory, requires parties to consider whether to introduce tobacco licensing schemes for participants in the supply chain.HMRC is currently undertaking a public consultation on the possible benefits of licensing participants in the supply chain in tackling the illicit trade in tobacco products. The consultation closes on 20 May and also covers the implementation of a licensing scheme for tobacco manufacturing machinery, a further requirement of the Protocol. HMRC will publish a summary of responses later in 2016.The consultation is published on GOV.UK:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/503011/Tobacco_Illicit_Trade_Protocol___licensing_of_equipment_and_the_supply_chain.pdf

PAYE: Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what advice his Department provides to employers on how to respond when advised by an employee that the Department for Work and Pensions has determined that their universal credit award has been affected by that employer's incorrect PAYE real time information submission.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Department for Work and Pensions continually monitor the quality of Real Time Information. Where a claimant disputes the earnings details used in the Universal Credit calculation, in the first instance the employer will work with the employee to understand the cause of the discrepancy and put it right. If HMRC need to be involved then they will contact the employer to identify the cause of the error and, if appropriate, arrange for the returns to be corrected, as well as working with the employer to ensure errors do not re-occur.

Apprentices: Taxation

Gordon Marsden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential cost of the apprenticeship levy to (a) schools and (b) Multi-Academy Trusts in (i) 2017-18, (ii) 2018-19 and (iii) 2019-20.

Greg Hands: Local authorities, academies and multi academy trusts along with all other employers, 'will only pay the apprenticeship levy if their company paybill exceeds £3 million.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Heating: Solar Power

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the potential of solar thermal hot water heating to tackle fuel poverty.

Andrea Leadsom: Any measure which reduces the energy costs faced by a fuel poor home will have a beneficial impact on tackling fuel poverty. However, in order to tackle fuel poverty most cost effectively, it is right to focus on measures that can yield the greatest reductions in energy needs at least cost. For example, low cost insulation is typically more cost effective in improving the energy efficiency of fuel poor homes than other measures, including solar thermal. That is why Government is committed to insulating 1m homes this Parliament, helping to tackle the root cause of fuel poverty through cost effective policy.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2016 to Question 35137, what estimate she has made of the proportion of fuel poor households needed to reach the interim energy efficiency target of EPC band E by 2020 using the fuel poverty efficiency rating methodology that will be households in receipt of the Warm Homes Discount Scheme.

Andrea Leadsom: The number of F and G-rated fuel poor households [1] in England that will be in receipt of Warm Home Discount to 2020 will depend on changes in the energy efficiency of the housing stock and reforms to the welfare system over time. Based on current scheme eligibility, we estimate that around 25% of F and G-rated fuel poor households in England are eligible for Warm Home Discount. The Warm Home Discount has an important role in supporting households with their energy bills but is not the primary way we are addressing fuel poverty in the long term. We are reforming the Energy Company Obligation to improve the energy efficiency of homes that need it most, tackling the root cause of fuel poverty.  [1] As measured by the Fuel Poverty Energy Efficiency Rating. More information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/332236/fpeer_methodology.pdf

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Telecommunications

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will update guidance on the use of personal electronic communications to conduct official Government business to include the use of WhatsApp and other instant messaging services.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 04 May 2016



All Government business must be conducted in line with the Ministerial Code, Civil Service Code, Special Adviser Code and HMG Security Policy Framework. Local records management and information security policies are in place across Departments.

Anti-corruption Summit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the budget is for the Anti-Corruption Summit on 12 May 2016.

Matthew Hancock: The final costs of the Summit are still to be confirmed.

Shops: Closures

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information he holds on the average number of small independent retail shops that closed in each (a) week, (b) month and (c) year of the most recent period for which figures are available.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Small Retail Shops
(PDF Document, 113.82 KB)

Cabinet Office: Dairy Products

Nick Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of dairy products procured for (a) his Department and (b) 10 Downing Street was sourced from British producers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Matthew Hancock: The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.The Cabinet Office adheres to the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services which are mandatory for central Government and its executive agencies, ALBs, NDPBs etc. This is supported in the DEFRA Business Plan to drive sustainable food procurement by the Government and the public sector.The Government Buying Standards on Food and Catering can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418072/gbs-food-catering-march2015.pdfDairy products in Cabinet Office buildings are supplied by the department’s facilities management providers and they have confirmed that at least 85% were sourced from British producers in 2015/16.

Brain: Tumours

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many children under 16 have been diagnosed with brain tumours in each of the last ten years; and how many such children died from those tumours in each such year.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



Excel Spreadsheet for Member - Brain Tumours
(Excel SpreadSheet, 38 KB)




UKSA Letter to Member - Brain Tumours
(PDF Document, 67.79 KB)

Council of Data Science Ethics

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that the membership of the Council of Data Science Ethics includes non-public sector experts and other representatives from that field.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Council of Data Science Ethics will first meet; and whether the minutes of that meeting will be published.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the advisory role to government of the Council of Data Science Ethics will be; whether that advice will include advice on EU legislative proposals on the right to be forgotten; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the Council's membership has the necessary leadership expertise to fulfil its role.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the remit of the Council of Data Science Ethics will extend beyond big data and personal data and include (a) wearable technologies, (b) health monitoring and (c) robotics.

Matthew Hancock: The Science and Technology Committee report on the Big Data Dilemma recommended that a Council for Data Ethics be established. The Government response was published on 26th April 2016 and can be found at the following link: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmselect/cmsctech/992/99204.htm

Political Parties: Finance

Victoria Prentis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Electoral Commission's 2013 recommendation that political parties that receive and spend less than £500 annually should be exempt from submitting a full statement of accounts.

John Penrose: The Electoral Commission published a report “a regulatory review of the UK’s party and electoral finance laws” in June 2013 that made 50 recommendations. The report’s first recommendation proposed changes to the reporting requirements for parties that receive and spend less than £500 annually. Such a change would require primary legislation. The Government recognises that there is a balance to be struck between reducing the burden on smaller parties and maintaining transparency of the funding of all parties which contest elections in the UK.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

White Fish

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what has been the change in sea bass stocks available to the UK fishing industry since the Council of European Fisheries Ministers meeting in 2014.

George Eustice: Updated scientific advice is expected from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea at the end of June this year, which will provide the latest assessment. However, the overall estimated reductions of the EU bass measures for the main gear groups in the commercial sector are set out in the Table below (calculated for the UK fleet). These are estimates which take into account the effects of the initial six-month moratorium, related derogations and the subsequent monthly vessel catch limits. Those parts of the industry that use hook-and-line and fixed gillnets benefit from derogations in the form of higher monthly catch limits and a moratorium of two, rather than six, months. More in-depth analysis, also taking into account additional factors such as the effects of the 2015 increase in the minimum conservation reference size for bass, and reduced availability, will be undertaken. Gear typePrevious average tonnage, 2011-13Estimated tonnage catch potential for 2016Estimated reduction from 2011-13 average (%)Bottom Trawl1313772Nets37822441Hook and line1711672Purse seine562163pelagic trawl771186Totals81346043Table. Estimated reductions in catch potential for UK bass stocks (%).

Neonicotinoids

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to refuse the applications to use neonicotinoid pesticides on British fields this year.

George Eustice: The Government has received two applications for emergency authorisation of neonicotinoid seed treatments for use on oilseed rape during 2016. These applications are currently being assessed according to the normal rules, which allow for limited and controlled use of a pesticide on an exceptional basis in emergency situations to control a danger which cannot be contained by any other reasonable means. The decision on whether or not to grant the authorisations will be made on the basis of an examination, by the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides, the Health and Safety Executive and Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser, of the technical and scientific information submitted by the applicant.

Food: Waste

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to require supermarkets to donate food to food banks and other charities.

Rory Stewart: I am replying as the Minister with responsibility for food waste. The Government welcomes the redistribution of good quality surplus food to charities that can make sure it goes to people rather than going to waste. Based on our experience, a simple law or requirement obliging supermarkets to donate food would not fix the barriers to redistribution. We need to look at the bigger picture. Less than 10% of food wasted in the supply chain is from supermarkets, so we need the whole chain to work together. Facilitated and supported by government, all major retailers now have arrangements in place to redistribute surplus food. Action taken by retailers to redistribute surplus food includes: Morrisons have announced that, from January 2016, any unsold safe food will go to redistribution organisationsTesco are making use of an app which links supermarkets with redistribution organisationsAsda are working with FareShare to redistribute food Signatories to the voluntary Courtauld Commitment with industry have reported a 74% increase between 2012 and end 2014, and we expect it to increase further. We want to achieve more. Last year, the Secretary of State held a meeting with industry and redistribution organisations to take stock of progress on food redistribution. Outcomes from this include the recent publication of a Redistribution Framework to help facilitate closer working between potential donors and recipients of food surpluses. Research has been commissioned by WRAP to identify where and why waste and surpluses occur in the supply chain to inform further action to increase waste prevention and redistribution.Following the success of earlier agreements, WRAP launched The Courtauld Commitment 2025 in March. This is an ambitious new agreement that takes a whole food supply chain approach, and will build on the progress we have already made to prevent waste, including through the redistribution of surplus food.

Department of Health

UK Vaccines Research and Development Network

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the remit is of the UK Vaccines Research and Development Network.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what criteria the UK Vaccines Research and Development Network will use to allocate funding.

Jane Ellison: The focus of the UK Vaccine Network is to bring together experts from industry, academia, philanthropy and government to make targeted investments in world-leading vaccine candidates, vaccine platform technology and vaccine manufacturing technology to combat diseases with epidemic potential in low and middle income countries, such as Ebola and Zika. The UK Vaccine Network will allocate funding to world leading science in the areas above, and funding awards will only be made following appropriate competitive processes, and rigorous, international expert peer review of all applications. The criteria used as part of individual funding decisions will be decided on a competition by competition basis, following international expert advice.

Pharmacy: Finance

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework has accrued to the public purse through Category M savings since 2005.

Alistair Burt: The adjustments to Category M generic medicine reimbursement prices that have been made in order to align total community pharmacy funding (including margin earned on the difference between reimbursement prices and purchase prices) with the target amount set for the community pharmacy contractual framework are shown in the table below. MonthMargin removed (-) or added (+) (quarterly amount on recurrent basis) (£ m)April 2005-75October 2006-75October 2007-100October 2008-32.5October 2009-20October 2010-60April 2011-22.5October 2011-39April 2012-10October 2012-72.5October 2013-20April 2014-30October 2014+30January 2016-45Source: Department of Health

Mental Illness

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people with severe and enduring mental health problems are (a) eligible for and (b) receiving social care.

Alistair Burt: Health and Social Care Information Centre’s Short and Long Term Support data shows that the number of people accessing long term adult social care support during the year to 31 March 2015 with the primary support reason of “Mental Health Support” was 110,000. A further 6,000 new clients with the primary support reason of “Mental Health Support” received short term adult social care support to maximise independence. The data shows the number of people local authorities have considered as eligible for social care support.

Liver Diseases

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions officials in his Department have had with Public Health England on the potential effects of minimum unit pricing of alcohol on liver disease health outcomes in England.

Jane Ellison: There have been no meetings specifically to discuss the potential effects of minimum unit pricing on liver disease health outcomes in England.

Childbirth

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department and NHS England plan to take to improve birth outcomes for women (a) from ethnic minority groups, (b) of lower socio-economic status and (c) from other groups who experience poorer birth outcomes.

Ben Gummer: In November, the Government announced a national ambition to halve the rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth by 2030. To help meet these aims the Government established a capital fund of £2.24 million to support trusts to buy equipment to improve safety. More than 90 trusts were successful in sharing this funding. In addition, the Government is investing £500,000 to develop a new web-based system to be used consistently across the National Health Service so staff can review and learn from every stillbirth and neonatal death, and over £1 millon in multi-disciplinary training programmes to ensure staff have the skills they need to deliver world-leading safe care. In February 2016, the report of the National Maternity Review ‘Better Births’ was published. It sets out a vision for the future of maternity care in England and puts forward a series of recommendations to ensure that services become safer, more personalised, kinder, professional and more family-friendly. Additionally, in March, NHS England launched the Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle designed to support providers and commissioners of maternity care to take action to reduce stillbirths and early neonatal deaths. There is evidence to suggest that when implemented the proposals outlined in Better Births will lead to a reduction in inequality of outcomes from maternity services. In particular, more continuity of carer and greater personalisation of care should result in improvements in services to groups of women who tend to experience poorer outcomes, and in turn lead to improved outcomes for women and their babies. Later this year the Department will begin a targeted campaign to raise awareness of stillbirth, neonatal death and maternal death risk factors which will be aimed at 16-21 year olds, lower socio-economic groups and ethnic minority groups.

Maternity Services: Training

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions NHS England has had with Health Education England, the Nursing Midwifery Council and the Royal College of Obstetricians on delivery of multi-disciplinary training for maternity services.

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions NHS England has had with Health Education England and the Royal Colleges on multi-professional training.

Ben Gummer: The report of the National Maternity Review: Better Births, published earlier this year, set out wide-ranging proposals designed to make care safer and give women greater control and more choices. Multi-professional education and training were among a number of recommendations that the report made. Health Education England (HEE) has established a Maternity Safety Steering Group (MSSG) which first met in December 2015. The MSSG has representatives from the Department of Health, NHS Litigation Authority, NHS England, Public Health England, the Royal Colleges, Institute of Health Visitors, Perinatal Institute for Maternal and Child Health and British Association of Perinatal Medicine. The group works in collaboration to consider what training programmes are available and used in trusts, and to identify appropriate training packages to cover all aspects of maternity safety. NHS England is working closely, and will continue to have regular discussions, with partners across the system to discuss multi-professional and multi-disciplinary training, including the Royal Colleges, HEE and the Department. These discussions include the implementation of the recommendations of the National Maternity Review report.

General Practitioners: Recruitment

Matt Warman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many bursaries have been offered (a) in total and (b) in each of the seven most hard to recruit areas as part of NHS England's Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Ben Gummer: The Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme has been set up by Health Education England (HEE) and NHS England as a one year pilot scheme to support recruitment of general practitioner trainees in the 109 training places in England that have been hard to recruit to for the past three years. Recruitment is currently ongoing and 2016 fill rates will be published on the HEE website once recruitment has closed.

Junior Doctors: Working Hours

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average rota gap is for junior doctors in NHS foundation trusts in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what assessment he has made of the effect on services of the size of that gap.

Ben Gummer: The Department does not collect this information. Rota arrangements for junior doctors are a matter for individual National Health Service foundation trusts.Contact details for NHS foundation trusts and all other NHS authorities can be found on the NHS Choices website:http://www.nhs.uk/nhsengland/thenhs/about/pages/authoritiesandtrusts.aspx

Obesity: Children

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether data other than the most recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey data is being used in the development of the childhood obesity strategy.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the most recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey data is being used in the development of the Childhood Obesity Strategy.

Jane Ellison: The Childhood Obesity Strategy will draw from a range of the latest data and evidence, including from Public Health England and other partners.

Tobacco: Retail Trade

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the cumulative effect of tobacco control measures on small retailers over the last 10 years.

Jane Ellison: The Department assesses the impact of all proposed measures before laying legislation using standard government methodology. These assessments are set out in Impact Assessments which are scrutinised by the Regulatory Policy Committee before publication alongside the Statutory Instrument. Impact Assessments specifically look at the impacts on small and micro businesses. The Department assesses the impact of tobacco control measures on an ongoing basis as it develops policy and considers new measures. In September 2013, the Department published An Audit of the impact of the Department of Health’s Regulations upon business. A copy of the report is attached. The Audit report covered all regulations for which the Department has responsibility believed to have a potential cost to business, including those relating to tobacco control. As advised in the report, there is a robust cost-benefit case for the tobacco control regulations considered and experience shows that initiatives to reduce smoking prevalence work best in combination, with cumulative effects over time.



Audit Report
(PDF Document, 950.62 KB)

NHS: Negligence

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the costs to the NHS Litigation Authority of late release of medical records where those records reveal a case to be unfounded; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of clinical negligence cases dealt with by the NHS Litigation Authority are discovered to be unfounded upon the release of medical records.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) hospitals and (b) GPs release medical records required in clinical negligence cases within appropriate time limits.

Ben Gummer: The timetable for the release of medical records in clinical negligence cases is determined by the Pre Action Protocol for clinical negligence claims. This prescribes 40 days for the release of the records, or the ability to request an extension to that time.The NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) works with National Health Service trusts to ensure prompt release of medical records and other information which will inform the outcome of a claim for compensation. Often expert evidence will be required to give conclusive evidence as to whether there was negligence and if so, whether that caused injury to the claimant. As claims are often resolved in-house by the NHSLA, any costs which arise as a result of delays in receiving medical records are not recorded separately as they will fall within overall administration costs.46% of claims were resolved without payment of damages in 2014/15; however, as above, it is often necessary to obtain expert medical advice to determine whether compensation is due.

Autism: Diagnosis

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for autism diagnosis.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ask NHS England to collect data on autism diagnosis waiting times.

Alistair Burt: NHS England and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, supported by the Department, undertook a series of visits to clinical commissioning groups and local authorities recently. These visits aimed to develop a better strategic oversight of the challenges in securing timely diagnosis across all ages and to share good practice. NHS England will report to the Cross Government Autism Programme Board in June on its findings and that report and discussion will be made public. As recommended by the independent Mental Health Taskforce, the Department is undertaking a five year plan for the development of mental health data to be published by the end of this year. The plan will set out future data requirements and timings for developing data to inform pathways of care which will include data requirements for autism.

Electromagnetic Fields: Health Hazards

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government has taken in response to Resolution 1815 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on measures to reduce exposure, particularly of children, to electromagnetic fields, agreed on 27 May 2011.

Jane Ellison: Pre-existing precautionary advice remains available to the United Kingdom public and internationally recommended (ICNIRP) guidelines on limiting exposures to electromagnetic fields are in place. The Government has not responded specifically to this Resolution.

Mobile Phones: Health Hazards

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government took in response to the report of the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones, chaired by Sir William Stewart, published in 2000; what steps the Government has taken in response to that report's recommendations on limiting children's use of mobile phones; what research the Government has commissioned or undertaken since that report on that issue; and whether any such research supported or contradicted the findings of that report.

Jane Ellison: The Government published a detailed response to the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (IEGMP) report’s recommendations and set in place a range of measures to address concerns about mobile phones and health. International guidelines for limiting exposures to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields were adopted, and precautionary advice to mobile phone users was published. The Mobile Telecommunications Health Research Programme ran for 11 years after the IEGMP report and government continues to support research on this topic.IEGMP concluded the balance of evidence at the time of its report did not suggest mobile phone technologies put the health of the population at risk; that remains the case after a considerable volume of more recent national and international research.Precautionary advice to mobile phone users has been maintained and is available here:http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Mobile-phone-safety/Pages/Introduction.aspx

General Practitioners: South East

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance he has given to NHS England - South (South East) on consulting local authorities on housing growth and other demographic change when planning future demand for GP services.

Alistair Burt: If there is a successful planning application for a new housing estate then NHS England or the delegated clinical commissioning group will consider the availability and accessibility of services from nearby general practitioners’ practices and if it is deemed insufficient or inadequate then the commissioner would go out to tender for a new service.

Maternity Services: Safety

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress the Government has made on improving safety in maternity care.

Ben Gummer: In November, we announced a national ambition to halve the rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth by 2030. Since then progress has included the launch of the ‘Spotlight on Maternity’ initiative and distribution of a £2.24 million capital fund for safety equipment.

Dental Services: Fees and Charges

Mr Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposed increase in charges for NHS dentistry on people's ability and inclination to visit a dentist regularly.

Alistair Burt: In considering the possible impact on patients of the increased charges for 2016/17 and for 2017/18, we concluded that the existing exemptions and Low Income Scheme will protect the most vulnerable, ensuring there should be no significant impact on an individual’s inclination to visit the dentist.

Life Expectancy

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of recent trends in life expectancy.

Jane Ellison: We welcome the overall trend to longer life expectancy. Annual fluctuations in life expectancy do occur, but the overall trend remains positive. We are committed to helping people live longer, healthier lives. Tackling health inequalities amongst people of ages is embedded in policy right across the Department.

NHS: Employment Agencies

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department monitors implementation of price caps for agency staff.

Ben Gummer: Hourly price caps are one part of a series of tough financial controls we introduced last year to help the National Health Service tackle overspending on agency staff. NHS Improvement consulted on the price caps before they were introduced and, with NHS England and the Care Quality Commission, has been monitoring their implementation on a weekly basis.

Doctors: Pay

Lucy Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans the Government has for future changes in doctors' remuneration.

Ben Gummer: It is the responsibility of the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) to make recommendations to government on the remuneration of doctors and dentists working in the National Health Service. We are also taking forward contract reform for consultants and junior doctors. The General Practitioner (GP) contract for 2016/17 will see an investment of £220 million for 2016/17 – part of this will provide a pay uplift of 1% for GPs.

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on approving the business case for rebuilding the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.

George Freeman: A Full Business Case for the new inpatient ward at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital was submitted to NHS Improvement for review on 6 April 2016 and is due for consideration in June 2016. This remains a priority project for the Department and NHS Improvement.

North Devon Hospital

Peter Heaton-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that the Success Regime review at North Devon District Hospital does not lead to a reduction in services provided at that hospital.

Ben Gummer: The Success Regime aims to improve the quality and sustainability of health and care services for local people. North, East and West Devon’s 'Case for Change' sets out the underlying challenges and opportunities. Change will be led by clinicians, in the best interests of communities. No specific proposals have been identified and the programme welcomes input from the people of North Devon. Hospital-based services will continue to be important across Devon, including in the North of the county.

NHS Trusts: Finance

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of NHS trusts were in deficit at the end of 2015-16; and what the total size of that deficit was.

Alistair Burt: Final figures for 2015-16 are not yet available, but we know that the deficit will be bigger this year, and that there is significant pressure. This is why we are investing the additional £10 billion the National Health Service has said it needs to implement its own plan for the future, with £6 billion frontloaded by the end of next year.